Brown Recluse Bites On The Rise

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Brown Recluse Bites On The Rise

Photo courtesy: KTHV

(KTHV) – Doctors are seeing an increase in patients seeking treatment for brown recluse bites, including some who tried at-home remedies that did more harm than good, according to affiliate station KTHV.

The venomous bites usually heal well if left alone, said Dr. Donna Seger, medical director of the Tennessee Poison Center. However, she warned that people can react differently to the bites. A lesion accompanied by a fever, rash and muscle pain can be life-threatening, especially in children, she said.

The bites can cause hemolysis, a breakdown in red blood cells, KTHV reported.

“Our recommendations are that all children under 12 with a brown recluse spider bite should have a urine test for the presence of hemoglobin in blood which indicates hemolysis,” Seger said.

Ointments don’t usually help, she said.

To read the full story on our affiliate station’s website KTHV – Channel 11, click here.

2 comments

my2cents

I’ve been bitten a few times in 2011, it’s no picnic. The bite area swells and turns red pretty fast. Then it starts burning, it’s very painful. After a day or so it starts ozzing a bloody liquid and then a puss like discharge that is very messy as the poison breaks down the tissue. It takes weeks / months (in my case) for the bite to heal, and leaves a scar area. Best thing you can do is go to the doctor so you can receive pain medicine and maybe take a drug called Dapsone, which is for leprosy…it may help but I wasn’t sure?

Luckley, I was bit on my thigh where it didn’t show and was less dangerous. But if bit on face or neck it could be fatal. I hate the spiders. If you see one have the whole home sprayed inside and out.